The Touch of Winter
by DreamingAngelWolf
Summary: It's hard to acknowledge that someone is a cold-blooded killer when that someone is in the throes of a nightmare before your very eyes (let alone someone your not-dead best friend cares extremely deeply for). (Winterhawk Red Room AU)


**AN: **This was supposed to be a drabble... hah. Will I come back to it? Hmm, maybe, dunno... depends on fan interest ;-)

(Also, if you've been following my updates, you'll notice I've slipped lil' Clay Quartermain in again. Don't know why but I really feel the need to include him in my fics these days - he's now become my go-to generic S.H.I.E.L.D agent!)

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><p><span>The Touch of Winter<span>

"Let me see him!"

Steve shares a sidelong glance with Natasha, unnerved by both Bucky's vicious insistence and Clint's terrified screaming. Neither had known what, exactly, to expect when Agent Quartermain had contacted them through JARVIS, and though Steve had initially been annoyed by the midnight disturbance for a killer he cared little about he can understand Quartermain's unease. Even asleep, the Hawk's Eye is scary, to say the least.

But it's Bucky's reaction that has Steve worried. He'd been demanding to be let out of his own cell in the background of Quartermain's call, and now that Steve and Natasha were here he'd resorted to a desperate pleading, the likes of which Steve had never imagined his friend capable of. Everything in Natasha's pose says she thinks letting him out is a bad idea, but Clint clearly isn't waking up, and Bucky's getting more and more distressed.

"You have to let me go to him Steve," he begs, eyes wide and wet on the other side of the glass. "He needs someone right now - please, just let me help!"

"We have an on-call psychiatrist," Natasha says quietly, eyes on the coiled form in the other cell. "They could be called in, perhaps wake him up -"

"No!" Bucky shouts, voice tinny but strong over the intercom. "No, don't bring anyone else in -" Clint shouts something in Russian, and Steve stares as Bucky all but breaks before them. "Please," he says again, voice now strained. "You can cuff me if you like, put a gun to my head the whole damn time, just -" He swallows. "He needs me. Nobody else understands what was done to us." A tear tracks down his face.

"Alright."

"Steve -"

"Natasha." He meets her gaze head-on, and she knows he won't be swayed. A nod to Quartermain has the agent keying in the release for Bucky's cell, and Steve stands in the doorway once it's open. "No cuffs," he tells him, "and no guns, but Natasha will incapacitate either of you if try and escape -"

"I get it," Bucky snaps, and up close Steve can see him shaking slightly. "Steve, let me past." In the background, Clint yells again, making Bucky flinch. Steve steps aside.

True to his word Bucky makes a beeline for the cell door, looking ready to punch through it with that enhanced arm when Quartermain can't seem to open it fast enough. He darts inside as soon as there's space, and under the pretence of making sure he stays true to his word Steve watches what happens next.

Bucky kneels down by the head of Clint's bed, whispering something in his ear. Whatever he says is enough to still the other man, and Steve thinks it's all over already - but then Bucky touches Clint's forearm, and before they know it a fight has broken out.

"No," Natasha says when Steve moves, a hand on his elbow. "They might both turn on you."

It makes sense, and he follows her instruction, but it still makes him jump, watching the world's deadliest assassins going toe to toe in the bare cell - well, watching Clint attack Bucky, anyway. But as soon as it starts it seems to be over, with Bucky giving Clint an almighty shove and throwing him to the floor, and all Clint does is sit himself up, chest rising and falling rapidly as he looks around in bleary confusion. It's when his eyes find Bucky that it visibly comes crashing down.

Immediately Bucky is on Clint's level, crouching on one knee and pulling Clint against him, flesh fingers threading through his hair. In turn, Clint buries his face into Bucky's unhurt shoulder, clinging to Bucky like a life support as he sobs. Steve watches long enough to see Bucky kiss the side of his head, eyes closed as he mumbles whatever platitudes he has to in order to try and soothe the man falling apart in his arms - though what could possibly be said in comfort to someone like them, Steve can't fathom. In fact, it's now as hard to think of Clint as the Hawk's Eye as it is to think of Bucky as the Winter Soldier.

"Let them stay together," he instructs Quartermain. "JARVIS will keep a recording going and notify us if anything suspicious comes up. For now, though, give them their privacy."

"Yes Captain. Will you both be back in the morning?"

"You mean later in the morning," Natasha quips, and Steve confirms they'll be back at the original planned time. Before the window becomes opaque, he steals one last glance inside the cell; Clint is hunched over, shoulders still jerking as he hiccups, Bucky's hands either side of his face. Bucky says something, to which Clint screws his eyes shut, then he leans forward and kisses a spot just below Clint's eye -

The glass turns opaque. Heavy hearted, Steve finally makes his way home, that last image burned into his mind's eye.

(In the morning, he asks Natasha what Clint had been saying to make Bucky so distraught, and she gently promises him he doesn't want to know. After going to JARVIS with the same question, Steve wishes he'd listened to her.)

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Prompt: "AU were Clint and Bucky were partners in the Red Room."


End file.
